Q: I accidentally unplugged my iPod (fourth generation, 20 GB) while it was updating, and apparently have messed something up. It still updates successfully, but my PC gives me an error message every time I sync it (something like “The hard disk attached has a corrupt file. Run the chkdsk utility.”). Should I try to run ChkDsk on my iPod, or do something else?
– Jacob
A: You should never use any disk utility software with the iPod; this could damage your iPod’s catalog and prevent it from playing music. The safest thing to do is restore the iPod to factory settings (as described in the reply to the first of this week’s question). Not only does that erase the iPod, but it reformats it as well. If, however, you get the same error message after restoring the iPod, you should contact Apple; your iPod could have more serious problems.